Lake's Ariz. Election Lawsuit Heads to Trial

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Facts

  • A Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court judge on Monday allowed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's lawsuit challenging the election’s results to go to trial on claims involving alleged issues with the voting machines, and ballot chain of custody violations.
  • After throwing out eight claims, Judge Peter Thompson ruled he was allowing Lake to try to prove that "printer malfunctions were intentional" and affected the results. In addition, her team can attempt to prove the lack of chain of custody was "both intentional and did in fact result in a changed outcome."
  • Lake, who lost to Democratic Ariz. Sec. of State Katie Hobbs by 17K votes out of 2.6M, will present her case Wednesday and Thursday after Lake's representative examines 150 ballots Tuesday.
  • Regarding chain of custody, Lake claims the protocol around tracking who had the ballots was not followed, and also alleges some ballots were added by staffers from Runbeck Election Service, the company that printed the ballots.
  • Because Hobbs will hold her current Secretary of State position until she's sworn in as governor, Thompson ruled she could be called to testify. Hobbs’ attorney suggested the hearing was a victory for them given that most of the claims were dismissed.
  • In opposition to what Lake’s team claims, Maricopa County’s attorney argued during Monday's hearing that affidavits from voters prove that most were able to cast their ballots — despite longer lines — and there's no evidence to support claims of misconduct.

Sources: CNN, Washington Examiner, Abc, and Daily Mail.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Hobbs thought she could get away with these election irregularities without facing pushback, but Lake isn't going down without a fight. Arizona has endured widespread election issues recently. She may not win, but these hearings will give Lake — and voters who feel disenfranchised — a chance to take the stand and speak up. Due process can now play out.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by AZcentral. After ranting and tweeting endlessly to her voters about "election fraud," and asking her supporters to foot the bill for her legal actions, Lake will now get her day in court. She’s told her supporters to “buckle up” for victory, but she needs to provide actual evidence there was indeed a conspiracy to tamper with votes, or she could face court sanctions in addition to defeat.